Wet dust collectors that operate by passing and contacting a dirty stream of air with water as presently designed have several drawbacks. In the known systems, the water is typically sprayed or atomized and the dirt carrying stream of air is passed through the water. In the first place, because full contact of the air stream with the vapor is usually not achieved, the collecting effect is lessened and is relatively inefficient. Secondly, since a spray manifold and a pump for supplying pressurized water must be provided, the dust collector is typically costly and complex in construction. Thirdly, the collector cannot function without a continuing supply of water. Therefore, the dust collector is rendered non-portable, because of the need for a water supply connection.